OOS 59
Korrinoth 1, after Amber and Andy left for Timeless Space. It occurred between sessions 27 and 28. Transcript Belxari: Belxari whisks the collected party off to her favorite Wolis eatery- Sinna's, a nice and cozy family restaurant with a robust menu and even more robust chefs. A young boy, dressed smartly in the restaurant's uniform, takes the party's order before bringing out water for everyone. "So," Belxari asks, running her finger around the rim of the glass, causing it to hum softly. "That was some proposal, huh?" Veggrek: Veggrek's eyes follow Belxari's finger with fascination. "I'm glad they figured things out." Halberd!Kiono: "As am I," Kiono says, just a little uncharacteristically happy. Lei: lei takes this opportunity to slip teer the photo she took Teer: Teer grunts in half-hearted agreement, then checks the photo. Belxari: "They had me nervous there for a second." She smiles "The sly jerk, didn't even ask for my help. I'm glad you were all there for them." She spares Renn a sideways look. "Well, as much as you could be." Lei: the photo is of andy and amber about to depart, giddy, with a note on the back: ‘so you have something to look back on’ Teer: Teer squeezes Lei's hand in appreciation. Halberd!Kiono: "It was my honor to be there," Kiono says. She takes a sip of water. "Do we... want to wait for food, or should we discuss our business before that?" Belxari: "Never discuss matters of dire importance on an empty stomach." Belxari says, "I may not technically have mortal physiology anymore, but being hungry just makes people cranky." Halberd!Kiono: "I see." Lei: “do gods need to eat?” Belxari: Belxari grins as their food is brought out to facilitate the flow of conversation in the face of the bold declaration she just made. She has a large stack of waffles placed in front of her. "Not in the slightest, though many enjoy it." She says. Veggrek: Veggrek peers at Belxari, and then at his plate. He cuts a piece off one of his sausages and absentmindedly twirls it on the end of his fork. Halberd!Kiono: Kiono eats. Everyone should enjoy food. Teer: "Indeed," says Teer, casually feeding his pants a piece of steak. Lei: lei places her napkin on her lap and starts eating with probably more manners than is necessary for a cozy family restaurant, not that she probably notices Teer: "So... Lady Belxari. The gods presented us some options. We've been... discussing them. We thought perhaps the first option to exhaust would be trying to communicate with the asteroid." Halberd!Kiono: Kiono nods and finishes her mouthful of food. "I can... feel a connection to the net... I thought perhaps if I was... I don't know, close enough or... connected enough, I might be able to attempt communication through it." Veggrek: Veggrek delicately removes his gloves, sets them aside, picks up the remaining three-quarters of his sausage, and puts it in his mouth. Lei: lei glances at veggrek and sends him a message cantrip “i ran into a purifier last night. they said they’ve sighted goblins lately. you may want to be more cautious.” Veggrek: "Ghhrghk," says Veggrek. Halberd!Kiono: Kiono's eyes shift to Lei, then back to Belxari. "If you have suggestions for performing that activity, I thought perhaps the Edge would be a good place to attempt it from." Veggrek: When he recovers, he thinks back, “When were you going to mention that?” With all requisite indignation. Belxari: "I see," Belxari says "Using your connection makes sense. As the council mentioned, no attempt at communication has been made. The Obliterators have not been particularly talkative, either." "It's not without risk, but it's worth a shot." Lei: message “veggrek, it just happened last night. we can talk about this later.” Teer: "Where would the bulk of the risk be? In visiting the Edge, or the communication itself?" Halberd!Kiono: Kiono looks back at Lei. Veggrek: message “We were waiting with Amber for hours.” Halberd!Kiono: Then to Veg. Veggrek: Veggrek catches Kiono looking. He hurriedly wipes his hands on a napkin and dons his gloves, eyes darting around to the tables surrounding them. Belxari: "Both, probably. The Edge is at least a known danger, the attacks are infrequent but they are brutal." She says "Communicating with it is a complete unknown." Lei: “how do you get there?” Halberd!Kiono: Kiono is still keeping a bit of an eye on Lei and Veg, but returns most of her attention to Belxari. Veggrek: Veggrek cuts his food into tiny pieces and takes very small bites. Belxari: "It's essentially a plane that can be travelled to, but it is a divine realm, and so some sort of divine connection is needed to travel there without other assistance." Halberd!Kiono: "We were hoping you might be willing to assist in that matter." She pauses and looks confused for a moment. "Can... Does Xelbari have that divine connection, or does he just go when sent by others?" Belxari: "Hm." Belxari says, her face is a mask of confusion "I suppose he must, but I haven't really thought about it. I guess... It may just be his possession of Miroku, who is kind of the god of swords?" Halberd!Kiono: "Hm." Teer: "There's a god of swords?" Teer says with too much interest. Veggrek: Veggrek turns his fork end over end in his fingers, gazing blankly into the tablecloth. Belxari: "His title is the King of Blades, which is about the same thing, I suppose." Lei: “so will you assist in getting to the edge?” Belxari: "I don't see why not." Belxari says Lei: “would you have anything you recommend we do or bring to prepare for going there?” Belxari: "Perhaps something to ward against necrotic or physical damage, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary." Veggrek: “Just out of curiosity, how strong has this divine connection got to be? Seeing as... I mean, the company we keep...” “Just about everyone but me has got some sort of divinity about them.” Belxari: "The Halberd may suffice, but I'm not certain, but no one else would be able to try." Lei: “what types of dangers are we likely to run into at the edge?” Belxari: "The kind that do a lot of physical and necrotic damage." Lei: rolls her eyes Belxari: "You were there yourself, you know what's there." Lei: “so likely more of those things, and that’s it?” Veggrek: The rate of Veggrek’s fork-spinning increases. Belxari: "It's theoretically possible that something else might shown up, but I've not seen anything." Lei: nods “good to know.” Halberd!Kiono: "Are there times of relative peace there? It might be a good idea to attempt to time our visit accordingly." Belxari: "The attacks are fairly infrequent, and I've never seen two of the obliterators arrive at the same time. It might be prudent to try and go right after we dispatch one of them." Halberd!Kiono: "We would be counting on you to keep track of that, then." Belxari: "Very well, if you want to wait a bit, there's usually one every few days or so." Lei: “do we want to do this?” looking at the group Veggrek: “Do we want to wait for an opening? Sure.” Teer: "That does sound like our best option." Lei: “i agree. hopefully we can gain new information from this.” Halberd!Kiono: "I don't see why not. Worst case scenario, I get sucked into the asteroid and you're down one person who hits things." Kiono takes a large bite of pancakes or something. Lei: “looks like we’re committed then.” “when did the last one strike?” to belxari Belxari: "While you were speaking with the Gods." Belxari said. "Xelbari managed to defeat it alone, somehow without destroying half the place." She has a somewhat troubled look on her face. Lei: “so 3 days ago.” “likely you’ll be seeing another one soon then?” Halberd!Kiono: Kiono raises an eyebrow. "He is... powerful..." she says quietly. Belxari: She shrugs "They're not on a schedule, but probably." Lei: lei looks at veggrek “what will we do about you, veggrek? as far as i know, you’re still lacking your abilities.” Veggrek: “Not all of them. I’m still highly trained in combat, arms and armor maintenance, courtly skills, and comedic timing.” “But yes, we may want to pick up someone to fill my slot now that I’m bereft of magic.” Veggrek says bitterly. Teer: Teer takes out a bag and flips the top off. It's filled to the brim with potions. "We should be fine, as long as we're equipped." Veggrek: “Maybe I can train the hounds to shoot darts.” “...Or give potions.” Lei: lei nods “okay then.” and adds, in case he’s serious “no hounds shooting darts.” as funny as that sounds Veggrek: “What about firing arrows?” Belxari: "On the subject," Belxari muses "Veggrek, what do you value in life? What's the most important to you?" Veggrek: “I’m— I’m kidding. That was a joke.” “I don’t want to put the dogs in danger, that’s wrong.” “Life is precious.” “But, you know, they do deserve a chance to help keep the world from ending, if they want to...” Teer: "I think we've... what is it, 'lost the field'?" Belxari: "Not the dogs," She says "I mean you, you seem to want to keep helping, right?" Veggrek: “Of course. I think so?” Belxari: "But you lack the power to do so?" Veggrek: “In as much as I once did.” “I think everyone has something to give, even if it’s a small part. Drops in buckets and that.” “Can’t make bread without a few thousand seeds.” “If all I can do is put forks in puzzles and lift spirits, I can be alright with that.” Belxari: "Certainly." "So I ask again, what's the most important thing to you?" Veggrek: “My Oath. Honesty, courage, compassion, honor, and duty.” “Though I suppose that’s sort of... not a cheat, but a means. The end is making other people’s lives better.” Belxari: "People, then. Strangers, Friends, Enemies, Allies?" Veggrek: “Yes?” “...Oh! Oh, I mean— of course I value my friends and allies above— Wait. That’s not right either.” Lei: lei listens with obvious interest. this reminds her of something edger told her Belxari: "Are you uncertain?" Veggrek: “Yes,” Veggrek sighs eventually. Belxari: "I see." "Well, it's fine to be undecided, but I fear it will only cause you more turmoil if you go forward without conviction." Veggrek: Veggrek sounds more exhausted than anything else. “What do you want me to say? My connection to the gods? Shiny things?” Belxari: "It's not a test, Veggrek" she reaches out to pay his head. "I want to help you, but only you can decide what you want to be." Veggrek: Veggrek flinches and shuts his eyes. “I’m going to be wrong. That was the whole thing about the oath and the gods, that I could trust smarter people to tell me the right thing to do.” “Left to my own devices I’ll hole up in the Burnett’s basement and steal their hairpins and paperweights until someone incinerates me or I die quietly among my garbage.” Lei: lei glares “no you wont.” Veggrek: “Yes I will.” Lei: “you said yourself you want to help with stopping the asteroid. you committed to it.” Veggrek: “That’s not what ‘left to my own devices’ means, Lei.” “Or maybe it is and I misspoke. Sorry.” Belxari: "I believe what Veggrek means is that, in the absence of his Oath, his guidance, he'd not have committed to the task in the first place." Lei: “then don’t. back out of it. go hole up in a garbage pile, if that is what you truly want to do.” the glare is still sharp as ever Teer: "Lei." Lei: hearing teer’s voice, she sighs and looks away, backing off Veggrek: Veggrek cuts the tiny pieces of his sausages into even tinier pieces. Belxari: Belxari rolls her eyes at Lei "You are released from your Oath, and you are not beholden to anyone or anything, Veggrek. I will not tell you what path to take, but I would encourage you to explore yourself and find who it is you want to be." She smiles "If you want my help, I am never too far." Veggrek: “I don’t— I don’t know what that means.” Belxari: "Which part?" Veggrek: “I— how can I— are you offering your guidance without telling me directly?” Halberd!Kiono: Kiono is watching this entire exchange with very, very slowly growing amusement. Teer: "I believe the term is 'advice'?" Teer ventures. Belxari: "What meagre guidance I can offer is yours. Honestly, it might be better to talk to your friends, but- yes, advice is a good word. If you want to talk, I will be happy to do so. If you have questions, I'll do my best to answer them. But your truths can only come from within you." Veggrek: “Thank you.” Veggrek says quietly. He is trying not to cry. Lei: lei sighs, and speaks slowly, trying to watch her tone and temper “what i was trying to say is, do what...feels right to you. it’s no fun being...lost. one thing you want is to find your lady dyana, right?” Veggrek: “Yes!” Veggrek chirps, a little too loudly. “Yes. Sorry. Absolutely.” Lei: “which is why i feel like you wouldnt actually want a life of...holing up in a garbage pile. i dont think that is something you would do, if.....left to your own devices.” Veggrek: “You’re completely right.” Halberd!Kiono: "And if Lei wasn't saying these things, would you say them of your own accord? Or are you simply agreeing because that's what you think you're supposed to do?" The amusement in her eyes is not in her voice. She compartmentalizes well sometimes. Veggrek: “I’m— I’m not sure?” Lei: lei resists a facepalm. she does not get veggrek. at all. why does everyone in this party sound like teer used to. Teer: "Veggrek..." Teer shifts, mostly to better hide the lap-steak. "Lately you've been trying more goblin-things. Do you think that you would fall back on those things because they are what you enjoy? Or because they are what you believe is natural for you as a goblin?" Veggrek: Veggrek looks wide-eyed at Lei. Lei: try not to glare. try not to glare. i may just have to leave soon, i can’t handle this. Veggrek: “I— sure. Yes. Is everyone finished eating? Are we going to the Edge?” Lei: “sure what.” Belxari: "Not immediately. I'll let you know when it's..... 'safe' to go. You probably have a few more days to yourselves." Belxari says "Though there's no real reason you have to stay in Wolis, if there's anyplace else you would like to go." Veggrek: Veggrek has effectively sliced his sausages into more of a paste. Lei: “do you like trying.....goblin things?” speaking careful and slow, glancing towards teer Veggrek: “I don’t... dislike it?” Lei: “do you want to keep doing it?” Veggrek: “Sure.” Lei: “what other things like that do you want?” Veggrek: “Sorry?” Lei: closes her eyes and very slowly reopens them “you said you want to keep doing goblin things. what else do you want to do?” Veggrek: “Save Lady Dyana, save the world, deal with the glow worms...” Teer: "I believe we still have some time before our compass recharges," Teer says mostly to Belxari. "We haven't quite decided what to pursue next." Lei: “why do you want to do those things?” Veggrek: “Well, I— it’s the right thing to do. They’re the right things to do.” Veggrek finishes his food and puts his mask back up. Lei: “why do you think those are the right things to do?” Halberd!Kiono: Kiono blinks. She doesn't have an answer for that one. Veggrek: “It’s bad to let people suffer and die if you can help it.” Lei: “why do you think that?” Veggrek: “S—suffering is bad?” Lei: “you dont want people to suffer?” Teer: "Lei, I want to believe that you're getting at something here, but we risk falling back into the 'I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people' business." says Teer off to the side. Lei: lei just repeats her question to veggrek Veggrek: “No.” “Oh, that prompts a question.” Veggrek looks to Belxari. “Without my oath, am I meant to lie, cheat, steal, cower, and be cruel?” Lei: lei doesnt even give belxari a chance to answer “you dont want people to suffer, and you’ve decided to do goblin things, stop the glow worm, rescue your lady, and save the world. is that right?” Teer: Teer buries his mask in his hand. Veggrek: Veggrek’s eyes dart from Belxari to Kiono. He doesn’t reply. Lei: “is that what you want?” Halberd!Kiono: Kiono is resting her chin on one hand, her elbow on the table, watching but not inclined to try to step into Lei's path. Veggrek: “You’re, um. You’re interrogating again, I think.” Halberd!Kiono: "I think she's attempting to make you realize that you've made decisions without the gods' help. Or something like that," Kiono ventures despite her better judgement. Lei: tries to soften her tone and speak slower “please veggrek. is it what you want?” Veggrek: “Yes. For now.” Teer: "It is perfectly acceptable to change your mind later." Lei: nods “do you want to pursue those things by lying, cheating, and whatever else you said?” Veggrek: “What do you want, Leitha?” Lei: “i will answer that if you answer my remaining questions.” repeats her question Belxari: "There isn't a 'meant to'. And that can be scary, but the choice is what's valuable. Do you want to be honest, or do you want to lie?" Belxari says. "Lying is easier, unless you're bad at it." She imperceptibly nods at Renn. "Others might not always appreciate honesty, but..." she shrugs. Veggrek: "I don't think you know what-- I don't want to have this conversation in a public restaurant." Veggrek hisses. Lei: “good. then i’ll stop.” lei seems satisfied she looks to teer semi-waiting to get scolded, like, okay how bad did i heck up Teer: Teer is leaning his mask on one hand. He lifts the other up in the approximation of a shrug. Lei: goes back to finishing her meal, which has gone cold since she was busy asking veggrek questions Halberd!Kiono: Kiono glances about the table at her party members, thoughtful. When her eyes land on Belxari, she gets a small smile on her face, then she pops the last of her food in her mouth. Teer: "I don't mind staying in Wolis for another couple of days, but it might be prudent to figure out what we want to focus on next. It doesn't have to be in regards to the asteroid plan, just what we want to take care of first." "Alibrook is a long journey if we're not planning on telling anyone what's going on or going after an orb." "Though," "If Dee knows I don't see why we shouldn't tell Kaafiye. If nothing else than on Numry's recommendation." Veggrek: "In fairness, Dee probably shouldn't know." Halberd!Kiono: Kiono slowly glances at Teer. Veggrek: "I mean, we have to be very careful about who we tell. Anyone could use this information for sinister purposes." "Gods forbid the wrong people find out, so to speak." "I was wrong to have told Detective Dierdre Pride. Who knows what she'll do with it?" Lei: lei looks down at her hands and mumbles, not quite to anyone in particular “i kind of want to....stay in wolis a little while longer.” Halberd!Kiono: "Honestly, she sort of looked like she wasn't going to do anything with it." "But ultimately, we... don't have anything to do until we either hear back from people or decide what to do about this asteroid. I don't mind waiting in Wolis for a bit longer." "Other than Alibrook, the ritual site near Mudwall is the closest thing without a teleport, but if we intend to recalibrate the ley lines, then we can't actually do anything with that ritual circle until we decide what exactly we're doing with them." Veggrek: "I suppose I'm just worried that the stakes are so high we don't have time to waste." "After what we saw, I'm nervous about us getting stuck planning too." Lei: “we’re not wasting time. we’re waiting for the right opportunity to get information.” “we could talk about planning for items that don’t potentially involve the asteroid though.” pulls out the goals list sets her food aside because what’s left of it is cold and icky, and lays out the list in its place Belxari: "I'm sure you have enough to discuss. I'll let you know when we can travel to the Edge of Everything." Belxari folds her napkin and stands. "Later." She vanishes. Lei: “what goals on this list are we waiting on information for?” is too caught up in looking at the list and doesnt even acknowledge belxari leaving Halberd!Kiono: "The asteroid, Varren, the glow worm, Nox, Teer's roots, the halberd..." Kiono counts the list off on her fingers. "We wanted to wait on rescuing Lady Dyana until we were a bit stronger so we could actually succeed." "Hm, I suppose we could attempt to find Harbinger?" Lei: “ummmmm. i’m going to write down specific information. we’re waiting on belxari to let us know about obliterators for the asteroid.” Halberd!Kiono: "For that particular plan for the asteroid, yes." Lei: “we’re waiting to hear back from elaina regarding varren. and also, that goal potentially involves the asteroid, right?” Halberd!Kiono: "Yes." "We can stop Varren and not take the shortcut for the ley lines if we want." "In which case, the location near Mudwall is available for us to visit." Lei: nods as she’s writing all this down “teer got information about the glow worm recently. but we’re still waiting to hear back from, uh, that person in oceanside, right? is there anything we can do with that now?” Halberd!Kiono: "That was going to be expensive. We can attempt to acquire the funds to pay for it?" Teer: "How expensive, I don't recall?" Lei: “what about it is going to be expensive?” Veggrek: "Effectively infinite lives saved." Halberd!Kiono: "I wasn't there, but it is most likely spell components and the labor involved." "Unless she mentioned something else." Lei: “okay, so there’s a goal we could work on if we decided to.” “rescuing lady dyana seems linked to varren? which we are waiting on for now. right?” writing writing writing Teer: "I feel like yes, destroying the entity within her means we would need to also get her out of Varren's clutches." "Lest she just be captured by him." Lei: “next is....harbinger. i don’t know...what the next step is for this goal?” Teer: "We have to find Rama-va-Arel before he does. Unfortunately, no one currently alive knows where that is." Halberd!Kiono: "We could always just find him and... stop him." Teer: Teer leans back. "We... could." Lei: “i like the idea of finding him. if we find that place, what are we going to do then? wait around for him to show up?” Teer: "Ideally we would disable whatever weapon he is trying to obtain." Halberd!Kiono: "He would just try to find another weapon, or attack the sky elves directly. We have to stop him in some capacity." Teer: "I... logically I know that Harbinger has most likely been corrupted beyond repair. But... the way he feels isn't foreign to me. We suffered the same loss. And he is the only other sentinel I have found still functioning." "I want to stop him, but I don't know if I want to destroy him." Veggrek: Veggrek puts his hand on Teer's arm. Halberd!Kiono: "Then we capture him until he is either returned to sane levels of anger or we are forced to finish him." Lei: “if we decided to go that route, how would we find him?” “i’m not certain scrying would help...” “we could try to get false information out about where he’s looking for, but we’d have to be sure it gets to him and he believes it.” “i suppose the mirrors could be an option.” “oh, mirrors. veggrek, do you still have that mirror belxari gave you?” Veggrek: "I do." Lei: “how exactly does that mirror work?” Veggrek: "You gaze into it, think of a name, and it shows you their face. And that's it. Once a day." Veggrek takes it from his bag and hands it over. Lei: she doesnt take it “just their face. no chance to see their surroundings?” Veggrek: "Nope." "I'd say maybe you could get something out of it by reading their lips, but I don't think he has lips?" Lei: the mental image of teer with lips suddenly enters lei’s brain, and she almost breaks concentration and nearly lets out a giggle “well, that still leaves the mirror merchants as an option, i suppose. maybe...bunraku? if harbinger’s hiding.” Halberd!Kiono: "I've been curious about meeting these merchants..." Kiono says to nobody in particular. Lei: “any other ideas?” specifically looking to teer when she asks Halberd!Kiono: "We could potentially attempt to get a scroll of Scrying. That would allow us to see more than his face, but it would also be quite expensive." Veggrek: "Maybe we should get jobs?" Teer: "Huh... Maybe?" "I also have another idea, though it's rather poor." "If Harbinger is at all trying to find me through similar methods, I could remove my ring for a short while, and see if he shows his face. That is predicated on the idea however that he is looking for us, and that Nox has give up looking for us for the time being." Halberd!Kiono: "And also that Kitano has stopped looking for us through magical means as well." Teer: "Well. He doesn't have Dorianus." Halberd!Kiono: "He has forced others to perform magic for him before." She frowns, then shakes her head. "He's probably still in town, frankly. We didn't actually do anything to hide after our last encounter." Veggrek: "Maybe we could try to get Dorianus on our side? It seems like he's having a hard time." Halberd!Kiono: Kiono looks at Veg, then slowly a grin breaks out on her face. "I rather like that idea, actually." Teer: "I'm not interested in working with murderous slavers." Halberd!Kiono: "You are, though." "Surely you remember Elaina, who is a murderous slaver who we are currently working with." Teer: "Hmph. That's... Elaina made bad choices. But for a drow this is simply part of their culture." Lei: “umm.....” Veggrek: "He's in exile from the drow, it seems." Lei: “so my vote....if we decide to find harbinger....is to try a scrying scroll first.” Halberd!Kiono: "We reform him then," Kiono says cheerily to Teer. To Lei, she says, "It is a high level spell. It will take a lot of money. But if we get it, Kiono should be able to cast it without much issue." Lei: “do we agree that is our next step?” Teer: "I'll admit I was sort of looking forward to not having to deal with my personal issues for a week, but if we don't have better options then I will take it." Veggrek: "Buying the scroll or allying with Dorianus?" Lei: facepalm “buying the scroll, i mean. and we dont have to do it now. i’m just writing down what we decide the next steps are.” Veggrek: "And I'm just clarifying what you're writing down!" Halberd!Kiono: "I would be fine with that being our next step for now. We can spend the next few days earning money for it." "I would like to discuss the asteroid plans though." Veggrek: "Want me to try pickpocketing?" Halberd!Kiono: "Do you want to try pickpocketing for the funds?" Veggrek: "No. Maybe I could dust at the Burnetts' again." Lei: “teer? what is your vote?” lei is just laser on-task lol Teer: "I think... regardless, earning money isn't a bad idea. It will give us more options, allow us to be better supplied..." Lei: “yes or no on the scroll.” Halberd!Kiono: "I'm voting we earn money over the next couple of days, and we will decide on the use of the funds after we have been to the Edge." Lei: “i would be fine with that.” Halberd!Kiono: "We need funds for Squire Veggrek's glow worm as well. We will determine our options once we know what we can afford." Lei: “veggrek? what is your vote?” Veggrek: "Some adventuring parties take on mercenary work for money-- Oh, yes. Sounds good." Halberd!Kiono: "Oh, that's what the adventurer's guild is for, right? We could ask them for some work, correct?" Lei: lei rolls up the list and puts it back in her pocket. Veggrek: "Or ask around Wolis. Maybe someone has a basement that needs de-ratting or something." Lei: lei opens her mouth, then thinks better of it, and clams up Halberd!Kiono: "Regardless, I would still like to discuss the options for the ley lines. There are a lot of options there, and Kiono needs to have information to do her research and planning for it." Veggrek: "Okay?" Teer: "Right. It seems there are many paths we could take." Lei: “could we do it walking or something? i’m bored of sitting here.” Halberd!Kiono: "Walking to where?" Veggrek: "That's probably a good idea! Maybe we'll stumble upon some money." Lei: lei’s mind is elsewhere, and she’s fiddling with one of the rings on her fingers “i...dont know.” Veggrek: "The Burnetts', maybe. Then I can ask about joining their cleaning staff." Teer: "Very well. We'll talk as we go." Halberd!Kiono: Kiono places payment for her meal on the table and follows the others out the door. Belxari: As the group leaves, Kiono receives a message from Belxari, who lurks on the roof of the restaurant. "I'm curious what you found amusing there." Gloom: Additionally, a red-hatted Tortle approaches the group. "Veggrek the Stalwart?" The post-tortle asks. Veggrek: “Oh! Yes, hello. Good afternoon. How are you today?” Port Tortle: "Good. Good." The tortle produces a letter. "Letter for you." Veggrek: Veggrek accepts it. “Thank you. Should I— do you accept tips?” Halberd!Kiono: Kiono smirks to herself, before resuming a neutral expression. To Belxari she responds, "I think it is possible that I misjudged you." Post Tortle: The tortle scratches his shell "Uhh .. I guess?" Veggrek: “Oh, you don’t— I’m sorry. It’s okay. My bad. Good day.” Veggrek speedwalks away. Belxari: "Oh? You mean you didn't always know me to be the fantastic wonder that I am? I suppose I can forgive you for being confused." Belxari says, the mirth in her voice evident. Halberd!Kiono: Kiono hums in amusement in a Belxari-ward direction. Belxari: "I'm curious what sort of monstrosity you took me for?" Belxari asks. Halberd!Kiono: "I think I perhaps expected you to... hm..." Kiono muses. "Pay any sort of heed to the Council's decisions." Belxari: "Only when it suits me." She chuckles "Not being on the council means I am rarely beholden to their whims." "Hmm, actually.... ...What do you think about the council?" Lei: while this is going on, lei is waiting passively for halberd to bring up her leyline stuff. when she doesnt after a bit, lei says, “are we done talking for now then?” Halberd!Kiono: To Belxari, "Necessary, but man, at what cost? I don't know how else to keep all the gods in check, so we can't really get rid of it, but their indecisiveness and bickering has always and will always cause no end of problems." To Lei, "Of course not. We just lost Squire Veggrek to embarrassment and we need to catch up to him first." Lei: “why are you dilly-dallying then?” Halberd!Kiono: "Why are you?" she says, pursuing Veggrek. Lei: follows after the halberd BelxarI: Belxari, on the rooftop, smiles as they run after Veggrek. Something to think about, indeed. And she steps out of reality with a faint pop. Halberd!Kiono: Having probably caught up to Veg relatively easily... "If Kiono is to successfully adjust these ley lines via the ritual sites, we have to decide what we're doing with them." "We can attempt to channel the power of the Devoured, like she accidentally did against the thunderbird. We could also cast a spell on the planet, or we can attempt to cast the spell on the asteroid. If we are casting a spell, then what spell will need to be decided upon." Lei: “i’m not informed enough about ritual magic to know what would be best.” looking around at buildings and such while they walk, fidgeting with her hands Halberd!Kiono: "It's not about the ritual magic. It's what we're attempting to accomplish with it that needs discussed." "You suggested Blink so Lysaro can fully manifest with fewer casualties. I'd rather avoid having to rely on the gods, but the idea is valid still. We could try any number of things. We could cast a really big Fireball at the asteroid, teleport the planet to a different plane of existence, or cast the world into darkness so maybe it won't find us." Lei: “so what you are saying is, practically any big spell can be possible with the ritual magic.” Halberd!Kiono: "The rituals are only a shortcut to align the ley lines, but any spell can be used, yes." Lei: “then i would like to do some reading into large spells.” Halberd!Kiono: "What is your definition of 'large spells'?" Lei: “two months ago, i didn’t know prestidigitation could be used to clean things. i never paid much attention to my magic lessons. if you’re asking me for my opinion and ideas, there’s a lot of potential options i imagine i don’t know about.” Halberd!Kiono: Because that answers the question I asked. "Very well." Lei: doesnt say anything else, she seems distracted '' Teer: "Spells or not," ''says Teer, "which of these plans poses the least risk to Kiono? We established channeling a spell that will affect the whole planet is most likely going to destroy whoever casts it. What of the using the devoured?" Concludion: "A good an important question-" Concludion, who was there the entire time, says, "Kiono just got a future, and I'm not going to let her lose it because some gods couldn't get their act together." Kiono: Kiono's pace slows considerably when Teer asks the question, her expression focused. She finally sighs, and returns to focusing on the group. It's actually Kiono now! She looks at Concludion, then at Teer, then Concludion, and just sort of keeps bouncing between the two. "I... I think I can do it... I've only looked into it a little, though. I-I had too many options last night to... focus on one thing..." Lei: lei snorts randomly and says to herself, “what if we turned the asteroid into a slug...?” Teer: "And... you think you could use it to take out the asteroid, without posing a deadly risk to yourself?" "Wh- hm." Kiono: "That's... not the worst option... assuming we could keep it a slug... Something that... that powerful wouldn't just... stay a slug..." Lei: “hm?” head jerks up, like she didnt realize she’d said that out loud Kiono: "An imprisonment spell, perhaps..." Kiono takes up a Thinking Pose as they walk. "I don't know how long a spell like True Polymorph would last on something that powerful, but the Imprisonment spell may work..." "...Containment perhaps... It may have to be a significantly larger gemstone than normal... Oh!" She looks up, excited. "The Devoured is already trapped. What if we did the same thing to the asteroid?" Teer: "Would, that be doable?" Lei: "This depends on if we get in contact with the asteroid, too. Would we really want to trap instead of just destroy it?" Teer: "More importantly, back to my question, could you do that safely in regards to yourself." Looking at Concludion like help me out buddy. Kiono: "Trapping it may be the only way. The gods couldn't destroy it already." Concludion: "Right, it's not worth losing you when there are other options." Concludion says. Lei: "I don't know about that. If we can use any spell..." "I just. Want to do some reading on spells." Veggrek: Veggrek is searching the roads for spare change. Kiono: "Do your reading. I'm... going to look into perhaps the Imprisonment spell..." She pulls out her journal and falls into step behind Concludion as she scribbles down some notes and looks at other notes already in there. Teer: Teer hold his hands up and spreads his fingers. "Alright. I see it's not answering the warforged hours. Very well." Concludion: Concludion gives Teer a sympathetic look "I'll make sure she's not in danger. Or I'll have Izora make sure." He shrugs Veggrek: And also the walls for job postings, and the alleys for citizens in distress. Concludion: Concludion nudges Kiono "But really, what do you think are the odds someone can come out on the other side of a Big Spell alive?" he asks her. Kiono: Kiono starts, blinking in confusion until she can process what's happening. "Oh, I, uh... I don't.. I don't know. It may depend on.... how the ley lines are aligned... how in tune the caster is with the magic at play... There may be some feedback from the asteroid itself if we cast a spell directly on it." "It's the same sort of thing with the Devoured, since he's supposed to consume the caster when intentionally invoked. There's probably a chance of it not happening.... just statistically." "I need to discuss this with Izora. She might have some insights I don't." Teer: "Ah, that is the answer I was looking for, though not the one I was hoping for." Lei: zones back into the conversation after some thinking "why do you think we wouldn't be able to destroy it? just because the gods apparently couldn't?" Kiono: Kiono looks at Teer, a brief look of confusion on her face, then settles again as she looks at Lei. "Because the gods couldn't." Lei: "well, i think we could. we aren't under some stupid pact." Concludion: "I don't think a contract is what's presently in our way," Concludion says. Lei: "i'm not convinced. i'm certain there's a way." Concludion: "I remember having that kind of unearned confidence." Concludion says, not really '''to' Lei.'' "It was nice." Veggrek: “We can’t fight Varren either. The asteroid is probably stronger.” Concludion: "Okay but I would watch that fight." Kiono: "Luckily stopping him is a stepping stone to the asteroid." "Could cast Invulnerability on the planet..." Kiono's focus is back on her journal. She's practically on top of Concludion so she can barely pay attention to her surroundings as they walk. "Wonder how long that would last..." Teer: Teer goes quiet, focused inward. Kiono: "Hm, probably not long... Someone else would still have to destroy it before the spell wore off...." she mutters. Lei: "i had the same thought, i'd rather use the spell to destroy the asteroid if it comes to that." lei nods Kiono: "Prismatic Wall? No, that ends too... Need something that doesn't end..." Lei: that sparks lei thinking about when amber was talking about timeless space "or doesn't exist. just chuck it to timeless space." snorts Kiono: "Plane shifting or teleporting it elsewhere is an option, yes," Kiono says absently. Lei: still on the same train of thought. sort of. and then it shift. "hah, you think the asteroid will be killed if it impacts us?" Kiono: "We're not the first planet it's visited. No." Lei: "what if we impacted it instead?" half-grinning "just--surprise! and it gets blown to smithereens thanks to our momentum, and we just heal the damage the planet takes or whatever." does exaggerated hand motions to demonstrate Kiono: "That would require moving the planet and something like Invulnerability, and two spells at once would likely be disastrous." Kiono is flipping through her journal, stopping at random pages and reading, flipping back and writing, and so on. Her responses are automatic. Lei: "hahaha, but can you imagine the look on the asteroid's face.” lei's having fun now. until she has time to sit down and do research, she's just spitballing goofy ideas. "and just imagine turning it into a slug. and then banishing it to timeless space. do spell times work the same way there, i wonder? would it be stuck as a slug forever? hah." "really though, it'd be more satisfying to just smoosh it." Kiono: "That would break the Polymorph and you'd have a large asteroid under foot." Lei: curious "oh? how does that work?" Kiono: "When the animal form is killed, the one Polymorphed turns back to their normal self, as strong or weak as they were before they were transformed." Still muttering, nose in her journal. Lei: "whoa. that's boring." Kiono: "You're more likely to use it for utility or for much larger animals than a slug for normal applications of the spell." Lei: "okay but i bet it would crap itself for the brief amount of time it's stuck as a slug." "wait, i've got it!" Kiono: Flips some more pages, makes a face at one of them, flips back. Lei: lei sighs "i said I've got it." Teer: Teer comes back into focus. "A plan to defeat the asteroid?" Lei: "yes, it's flawless." Teer: He stares at Lei. Lei: "laser." lei whispers dramatically, grinning Teer: "Erm. Unfortunately I think Andy has removed himself from time, I don't think he'll be able to build us anything." Lei: "hahahaha." "if only it wasn't so....hm. how big is the asteroid exactly, anyway?" Kiono: "No idea." Lei: "and.....how fast is it moving?" Kiono: "It's not right now." Lei: "at all, because of the net?" Kiono: "The physical form of Time was turned into a net, so presumably it's at least as large as the concept of time. The net is holding it still." Lei: "so actually....we really would have the advantage of momentum if we threw something big at it....." Kiono: "Only if we did it while the net was still in place. It would probably destroy the net." Lei: "no, wait." trying to remember some of her lessons "it would be better if both objects were moving. make the total momentum even greater." groans "oh no, what was that formula...." Teer: Teer stares at her. "You don't know how all of your spells work but you know the conservation law of momentum?" Concludion: "And that would only apply if you were going to ram them into each other." Lei: still thinking "no, i can't remember it. hmm......" "well, yeah. ramming something into it is my current train of thought." Veggrek: “I found a copper! Wait, no, this is a leaf.” Kiono: "We would need something far larger than the planet if we wished to destroy the asteroid that way." Lei: "let's see, we'd need to know the size and speed? was there a p'' in there somewhere?" Concludion: "Could we transmute the planet into rubber, and then one of the moons into some sort of glue?" Lei: ''all that's coming to her mind is her angry tutor's face slapping her with a ruler lei laughs "no stop, i'm trying to actually remember it here." Concludion: "You were complaining of too many variables earlier and now you're trying to remember an equation which is literally just variables." "Variables of which we know none of." "Except time. we literally know her." Teer: "Right we would have to... calculate the mass of the planet... and the asteroid... wait, since when do I know math?" Lei: "yes, but these variables have numeric answers. they're not as ambiguous." Akaros: "I had to install math to get the microwave to work." Akaros says. Teer: "Did I come pre-installed with this? It's been 955 years and it's never come up - wait what?" "What is a my crow wave?" Akaros: "No idea, but it's next to the dishwasher." Kiono: "What about Time Stop? Would the ley lines increase the duration of it perhaps? It would be like the net, but without the physical net?" Kiono continues to mutter. Lei: "hm, it's no use. i can't remember right now. kiono, what do you think the largest, densest--oh! mass! right!--what's the mass-iest thing we could feasibly create with the leylines?" Teer: "Lei, forgive me but I feel at this point we're merely overcomplicating things." Lei: "i don't think we have to contain it. i think we can destroy it." Akaros: "The Rohadrim made a moon, once." Akaros says. Kiono: "We would also have to throw it - no the net was literal time and it wore off - with the ley lines and that might be too much - but maybe someone else will have a better idea when Time Stop ends? - for one person to do with the ley lines. Especially with - ah it would end sooner than the net did - the goal of keeping the caster alive." Akaros: "Though to be fair, they already had most of a moon." Lei: "the who?" Akaros: "The Rohadrim. They live on Yumia." "Or they did." Lei: "how did they make a moon?" Akaros: "Some kind of Big Spell, I presume." Lei: "so we quite possibly could create a large object with a big spell." Kiono: "They used the remains of Luna. We could launch the moons themselves, perhaps, but I doubt they would agree to that." Teer: "And if we spent our spell creating a new moon, we'd have no way to propel it." Lei: snorts imagining meyrin being launched off "i bet we could come up with a way to get it moving." Teer: "We... don't know that it would actually destroy the asteroid though." "Lei." "We only get one shot at this." Lei: "that's why i asked kiono, how much of a massive object she thinks she could feasibly create with the leylines." Kiono: "There isn't a spell I could do that with." "The closest would be Fabricate, but that would require materials to be sacrificed, and there still isn't a way to launch it." Lei: "what is fabricate?" looks to teer "i know we only get one shot. sometimes you need to think of big ideas and go from there. i don't want to start with ideas for sealing it. i want to get rid of the problem, not delay it." Kiono: "It takes thing and makes them other things. Same mass and material. Not useful in the scenario you've created." Lei: "otherwise, how is what we're doing any better than what the gods did the first time?" "we have time to think about this. we're not in an immediate rush. we can afford to think big." Teer: Robotic sigh. "Akaros and I discussed a couple of options, though none of them really useful to us. If the Ascendants were united, they could stand a good chance of destroying it without breaking any compact. Unfortunately, Nox poses too much of a problem to take that route." Lei: "is there any way to...increase the mass of something?" Kiono: "Enlarge, technically. The planet would still be destroyed." Lei: "is there any way to decrease the mass of something?" Teer: "Alternative idea, what if we imprisoned the asteroid, and then took it to a different plane or dimension? Preferably one without any people." Kiono: "Reducing the asteroid would not help without having a way to destroy it." Teer: "That way if it were ever released, it wouldn't affect anyone." Lei: "how long does the spell last to decrease its mass?" Kiono: "Yes, I still like Imprisonment. Once it is imprisoned, we can deal with it much easier, and potentially without the use of the ley lines." "One minute." Lei: "wouldn't reducing the mass make it much easier to destroy?" Kiono: "Depends on how large it is to begin with." "And what means you are employing to destroy it." Teer: "It's an idea, but, it still only takes us part of the way there for such a large, potentially fatal spellcast. There has to be a more direct option than that." Lei: nods "hmmm...i wonder....." "if we used the leylines to weaken it, what are some of our options for using that opportunity to then destroy it?" Kiono: "Hope the gods can avoid breaking the compact while also destroying the asteroid." Lei: "gross." "there have to be other options." "we just haven't thought of them yet." Teer: "I don't know, Akaros might have his body back? We could... get Xelbari... Xelbari riding on Akaros' back?" Lei: "hahahaha, that would be amazing." files that away in her brain next to 'imagine teer with lips' "how much do you think it would be possible to weaken the asteroid using the leylines?" "and what would our options be for weakening it?" guess i don't need to go do research if i have a walking book right in front of me. Kiono: "Go read up on some spells," Kiono says, glancing at Lei. "You tell me." Teer: "I think my vote goes towards imprisonment. I would like to destroy the asteroid if possible, but if we can't do that outright, then containing it and putting it somewhere it can't hurt anyone seems the better choice." Lei: "i'm against it, unless we can find a way to immediately destroy it after imprisoning it." Veggrek: “I vote for imprisonment.” Lei: "we don't need someone unsealing it someday and trying to use it to their advantage." Teer: "Hm. Unless." Kiono: "Then go find a spell that can destroy something more powerful than the gods, because I don't know any." Teer: Teer taps his wooden nose. Veggrek: “Temporarily, I meant.” Lei: "it just creates problems for the future. it's no better than what the gods did. we will find something that can destroy it." "i know we can." Teer: "We haven't told anyone about it. If we continue to not tell people, then who will know?" Veggrek: “I hope diplomacy works.” Teer: "Let's say we imprison it. In a gem, like Kiono said. Put it in a place no one will ever find it." Kiono: "You can't release something if nobody knows it's been captured." Lei: "teer, that is terrible. you really think someone like kiono's village or varren wouldn't find out about it? all it takes is a trip to bunraku or that other sibling." Teer: "Why would Bunraku give it to them? They would have to think to ask in the first place." Kiono: "Nobody who is capable of finding the thing - especially if the gods help us hide it - and undoing the Imprisonment spell would think they could possibly use it unless they're suicidal." Lei: "what is your village trying to do?" Kiono: She sighs. "Fine. Find the spell that destroys it. I don't know of one." She goes back to her journal. Lei: "i can't do it alone. you know a lot more about this stuff than me." "show me a good place to start. what are some books you recommend?" Kiono: "I don't know of any," she mutters to her journal. Teer: "We stop by the library later, Lei." "Are we at least in agreement that we are going to reconfigure the leylines to cast a spell? We don't have to know what spell or who's casting it yet, do we?" Lei: "then do you have notes or something that we could look at together?" Kiono: "I need to know the school of magic for the spell we're casting to align them properly. And no, I don't." Lei: "what changes if the leylines are used to channel power from the devoured?" Kiono: Kiono continues inside, her journal still open and pen in hand, but she is now attentive to her surroundings, looking for Izora or someone who can direct her to her. "a distracted explanation with a bunch of magical jargon about ley lines and the differences involved; the answer sounds vaguely like "a lot"" Veggrek: Veggrek seeks out Esteban to ask him about paid employment. Kiono: Kiono goes in search of Izora. Says, 'oh hey, we're thinking Imprisonment or the Devoured routes. I want to plan for both and your help is good.' Veggrek: If given the option, Veggrek will dust in the rooms where his party is. Are? He wants to be near them. Kiono: At some point before Lei gets bored, Kiono will, without looking up from her work, say, "Lei, you should explain your encounter with the Purifier." Veggrek: !, thinks Veggrek. He found a shiny bit of garbage! He tucks it in his pocket. Lei: lei was probably deep in thought about something and didnt really pay attention “hm?” Teer: Teer is half-reading the philosophy book he picked up and half paying attention to the conversation at hand. Or perhaps the philosophy book itself is a front. Who knows. Gloom: "On looking Pensive: a guide to subtle expressions and why we wear them" by Dr. Itsafa Sahd Veggrek: “Should— Should I go over that? Should I have said something sooner?” Teer: "Wait, what is going on?" He glances past the book. The question isn't accusatory, but confused. Lei: lei didnt really hear kiono’s question. her brain was elsewhere. she’s only half paying attention. Kiono: Kiono waves vaguely at Lei without looking up. "She said something at lunch." She continues working. Lei: lei looks up at kiono with confusion. she still has no idea what kiono is talking about. Izora: Izora closes a book and looks at Lei "You encountered a Purifier?" Lei: now lei is staring full on at kiono. how in the HECK did she hear a message cantrip? how long has she been able to do that? Veggrek: Veggrek starts pocketing loose arcane paraphernalia. Gloom: a lot of it Veggrek: (That’s fine, he’s not keeping it. It’s just a nervous tic.) Izora: "Is Kiono a Purifier?" She also looks at Kiono, the question is not a serious one even a little bit. Teer: "No, that wouldn't make any sense," says Teer completely seriously. Kiono: Kiono looks up at Izora, confused. Lei: "how do you know about it?" looking dead on at kiono Kiono: "You said it at lunch. Why didn't you tell us this morning when we were sitting around for hours?" She looks back at her work. Lei: "how did you hear it?" Kiono: without looking up, "I didn't." Lei: lei crosses her arms, waiting for an explanation Kiono: Kiono doesn't see her because she isn't looking. Lei: she's trying to remember back to how much she or veggrek were covering their mouths Veggrek: “Lei saw a Purifier last night.” Veggrek blurts out. “My indiscretion put us all in danger and I’m sorry.” Teer: "Oh." "Purifiers... exist... in the city correct? Is seeing one odd?" Izora: "If that's all, it's hardly a concern," Izora says, opening her book again, "The Purifiers maintain a substantive presence in Wolis." Veggrek: “They were looking for goblins.” Lei: still looking at kiono "how?" Teer: Teer is about to ask Lei a question, but seeing the look on her face pretends to return to his book. Izora: "Goblins? that could be a concern. Word of Dort's incarceration, or really, just seeing him in the city, could have reached them." "Or Veggrek, but he's..." Izora doesn't finish the sentence. Veggrek: “...Izora?” “Please, can we all just— talk openly? I thought we were past this.” Izora: She sighs, and smiles "I was going to say 'good at keeping a low profile.' But frankly, you shouldn't have to. It seemed an unfortunate choice of words." Lei: lei walks over to kiono and tries to get her attention, then repeats her question. "how?" Veggrek: “No, it— should I not?” “I-I. I guess not. Being that- I mean- are you sure the Purifiers aren’t on to something?” Lei: backing up, when kiono said, “i didn’t,” lei realizes, oh she forgot to cover her mouth when she was message cantripping veggrek. how very much unlike her. she will have to be more careful next time. “i encountered a purifier who said there’d been a couple of goblin sightings in the city recently.” she turns to veggrek “if you aren’t already, you should keep your identification papers on-hand at all times, just to be safe.” Veggrek: “I will.” Lei: “i think you should always carry one of the sending stones, or else have someone with you while you’re here, just in case.” Veggrek: “Okay.” Lei: “i dont have identification papers,” she muses. she’d become impatient with the pursuit of falsifying documents, and realized it wasn’t as crucial outside of wolis, so she hadnt practiced it recently. Veggrek: “Oh. Oh, right, because— Hm. Well, you’re not a goblin, though, are you?” Lei: “not anymore,” lei jokes, and lets out a short laugh. Concludion: "Some sort of past life, then?" Concludion asks.. Veggrek: “Well— um— in any case I can go a little less heavy on the— er— habits. To avoid suspicion.” Lei: lei gives concludion a look. how much does he know? need to find out. it could just be a meaningless question, but she cant help but be paranoid. Category:OOS